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Dear WIA Members,

Bridget L Chatman

Bridget L Chatman, Chair

What a year 2023 has been. it is an absolute honor to serve as the Chair of the Board today and with only a couple of weeks left, it’s hard to believe my second year as Chair is already coming to a close. This year has been an exciting and successful year for Women in Aerospace. As we wrap up the year, let’s reflect upon and celebrate our numerous accomplishments.

We have had a fantastic year, and we could not have done it without our leadership team and committees guiding WIA and supporting the great initiatives and events on our calendar. Some of these initiatives include our west coast program, WIA’s Future Architectures forum, hosted by Northrop Grumman last spring that brought together numerous industry leaders and experts to discuss resilience and leadership in the increasingly crowded and contested space domain. WIA’s professional development series continued to see an increase in member enthusiasm, cumulatively attended by over 1,000 individuals throughout the year, and we ended the year with an amazing addition to our equity series with last month’s Gender Equity Program featuring Harvard’s Dr. Iris Bohnet. Finally, something we are especially proud of is we updated our entire website and social media presence to reflect the truly inclusive environment that we want to embody in everything we do.

WIA also achieved an incredible accomplishment this past year when as Chair, I was appointed to represent Women in Aerospace on the National Space Council’s User Advisory Group. It is a highlight and privilege to position WIA to help shape strategy and policy recommendations for the National Space Council. It is also a remarkable achievement for WIA and a testament to our dedication and expertise.

WIA continues to achieve new heights by expanding our presence and reach by 30% this year through social media. This kind of achievement is a testament to the importance of our mission, and we look forward to continuing to grow our audience even further.

2023 Awards Dinner

Pam Melroy

Opening remarks from The Honorable Pamela Melroy

Additionally, I must spend some time recapping our 2023 Dinner. On December 13th, the industry gathered to celebrate Women in Aerospace’s 38th Annual Awards Dinner & Ceremony. This year’s Dinner was truly the most successful Awards Dinner in our history, and we couldn’t have been more proud to honor seven incredible women with the top honors, in addition to five scholarship winners, to a sold-out room!

We had 400 companies and individuals support the Dinner this year and the joy and camaraderie in the room were radiating.

2023 scholarship winners

2023 Scholarship Winners (left to right): Gia Karavangelas, Ashley Tirado Pujols, WIA Foundation President Dr. Rebecca Keiser, and Anmol Sharma. Not pictured: Krystal Mendez-Bonilla and Aramis Mendoza

WIA is once again very humbled to acknowledge all of our recipients’ phenomenal achievements. We hope those of you who could attend enjoyed our premier event of the year. Please visit our website for more photos and information on memberships, scholarships and donating to our Foundation.

View the full gallery HERE for the
2023 WIA Awards Dinner & Ceremony

Leadership Winner
Leadership Award Winner, Alexis Wang, with Presenter, Paula Trimble

Educator Winner
Aerospace Educator Award Winner, Dr. Christina Bloebaum, with Presenter, Scott Yeakel

Lifetime Achievement Winner
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis, with Presenter, Kelvin Manning

Allyship Winner
Allyship Award Winner
Outstanding Achievment Winner
Outstanding Achievement
Award Winner
Aerospace Awareness Winner
Aerospace Awareness
Award Winner
Initiative, Inspiration, Impact Winner
Initiative, Inspiration,
Impact Award Winner

Looking ahead, we have exciting programs in the works for 2024. We also have plans to revamp our Professional Development webinar series, in addition to continuing to increase our reach across the industry and showcase leaders among our membership. Stay tuned for announcements about our exciting and enriching offerings in the upcoming months.

To say I am incredibly proud of the success of WIA over the past year is an understatement. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to all of you – our members and partners – for your continued support and dedication to Women in Aerospace. Without you, we would not be able to do the incredible work that we do.

In this season of many spiritual and cultural observances, as well as the season of giving, compassion, and gratitude – I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!

Here’s to a great 2024!

Bridget Chatman
Bridget Chatman (she/her/hers)
Chair
Women in Aerospace

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